"Pump and Dump"? - Napa,CA

I cannot remember the exacts but Prenancy magazine did an article on the exacts of this practice. It was in 2007 I think, try their website and archives to read the article

My daughter was born on 2-28-08 too! =) Pump the normal feeding after drinking and you'll be fine. Have fun!

Pump & Dump is a myth - your breasts are not bags holding milk - this is from "About.com:"

It takes about half an hour before the alcohol starts to get into your milk, so while you are having a drink at home or just before would probably be safe if you have eaten something recently. Of course, a weaker drink would mean less alcohol in your system, but be aware that as long as the alcohol is in your blood, it is also in your milk. Just make sure you aren't feeling the effects of the drink before you nurse. If you are impaired in any way by the alcohol, it's in your milk and will affect your baby.

You say that you want to go out and have a couple drinks and mention pumping and dumping. You should know that alcohol in your milk doesn't remain there. It works the same as it does in your blood. Once it's out of your blood, it's also out of your milk. So only pump if you are going to miss a couple of nursings and want to keep up your supply or to relieve any engorgement you might have while you are away from your baby. You can also pump before you drink if you want to have some milk on hand to feed your baby if you feel like you're still going to be intoxicated at the next feeding. Don't think you have to do it because alcohol is going to stay in your milk long after you've been drinking. You don't have to get rid of any milk. It doesn't work that way.

Another thing that you should watch out for, according to La Leche League International, is your baby's age. Before 3 months old, liver function is more limited, so even a small amount of alcohol could tax your baby's liver. At around 3 months of age, however, your baby would process any alcohol more quickly, more like an adult's liver would. Before that, however, babies process alcohol at about half the rate of adults.

All that said, know that as long as you aren't sucking down Jell-O shots and then nursing your baby, the occasional beer with your pizza or glass of wine with your bubble bath now and then shouldn't be avoided like the plague. Experts like Dr. Jack Newman, author of The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers are working hard to dispel these myths. Nursing while you are drunk or frequently nursing when you've been drinking -- those are problems. But, according to Newman, "Reasonable alcohol intake should not be discouraged... Prohibiting alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive for nursing mothers."

Enjoy!

So as another reader indicated--it is about blood alcohol levels, not pumping and dumping. Definitely feed or pump before you drink, but no need to pump and dump, unless you are afraid of diminished supply in the short time you are out that night. If you feel drunk, then there are traces in your breastmilk, but if you had one drink, and do not feel the effects it is not in your breastmilk.

"Alcohol will leave the body as it is metabolized. Because there is little storage space in the breast, most of the breastmilk is made from the blood as it is called for by the baby. Therefore the level of alcohol in the breastmilk is more closely related to the level of alcohol in the blood at the time the breastfeeding is occurring, rather than the level of alcohol the mother consumed overall.

Since milk production slows during the time between feedings, alcohol will not be stored in the breastmilk and passed to the baby at a later feeding if that feeding occurs when the blood alcohol level is down."

"It would also be inadvisable to drink to the point of intoxication. Mothers who become intoxicated should not breastfeed until they are completely sober. When the mother becomes sober, most of the alcohol has left the blood and it should be safe to resume breastfeeding. Drinking to the point of intoxication, or binge drinking, has not been adequately addressed in studies of breastfeeding mothers and babies so all of the risks are not clearly understood."
http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bbreastfeed/0,,6pmn,00...

Our doctor said Its really hard to know especially since everyone metabolizes differently. I asked whether wine is something I could drink while breastfeeding - without exercise I knew I needed a little help relaxing every so often and she said it was fine. A friend of mine is friends with a pediatriciancthat says the only effect may be motor skill development is delayed but all resumes back to normal without it. It's your call in the end.

Dear G.,
I frankly don't remember how long the alcohol stays in the system as far as breast milk.
But both of my doctors, fertility specialists, told me it was perfectly fine to have a glass of wine just before or during nursing once in a while. If it relaxed me, it would relax my baby.
We are talking A glass of wine.
Neither of my kids were affected by it and are perfectly healthy and intelligent. I wouldn't suggest drinking a 5th of whiskey, but a glass of wine or beer should be okay. Follow up with lots of water. Or milk.

Alcohol takes about 30 days to leave your system and enters it immediately. Most nursing mothers have an occasional alcoholic beverage.

For "normal" sized women, you can assume the 1hr per drink (for smaller women,it will take longer for alcohol to leave your body). I recommend pumping before you go out and then pump and dump when you get home. Unless you are planning on the party of a lifetime, you should be fine by the next morning. Have fun!

I go with the Kellymom recommendations. And I never drink more than 2 drinks. With one drink I don't even avoid nursing.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

Have fun!

hi G., I am pretty sure that the milk is fine after about 12 hours. If you are away from your baby you will be engorged and want to pump and dump anyhow, so I wouldn't worry about the alcohol still being in the milk. If you are interested in looking into it furher then I would suggest going onto a La Leche League site or WebMD, for further info. It is so important to keep the connection with your husband that you should just go and have fun and the baby will be just fine. I am a firm believer that the parents need to get away once every few months for some time alone. Have fun.- v.

I didn't have time to read all the other responses so this may have already been said, but alcohol leaves your milk at the same rate it leaves your blood.

Personally, I drink pretty often but only in small amounts - one drink, maybe two at the most. I go by the principle that if I'm not tipsy, then my milk is fine. On the very rare occasion I feel tipsy, I wait a couple hours before I breastfeed. There is no reason to pump and dump unless you're feeling too engorged and can't wait to nurse or pump.

As long as you "don't feel drunk" you do not have to dump the milk....I asked my Lactation Coach after having the girls as I was trying to build a supply for twins. She said alcohol is OK in moderation and if you don't feel it in your system, you don't have to worry!

i've read that our bodies, on average, metabolize one ounce of alcohol an hour. so if you keep that in mind.....

Hi G.,

I believe it is 3 hours per alcohol drink that you must wait to breastfeed or pump. You can call breastfeeding services at Good Samaritan or drop by. The head nurse there is great and really helpful.

Hope you have a fun trip!

G.,

I nursed my last 2 children for 14 months and never did I pump and dump after drinking. Now this does depend on how much you intend on drinking. If you are talking about a glass of wine or two I would not pump and dump or pump/feed first then have your drink. If you talking getting hammered, then I would say pump/feed first, then waste the next pumping. It all depends on how much you plan on drinking. I had a glass of wine with dinner almost each night. This helped me produce an overabundance of milk. My older children were twins and not exclusively breast fed, but my middle child is top of the class and talked full sentences at 20 months. My last child is just 19 months old and already peeing on the big potty... All potty trained completely by 2 years old. sooooo...
To each is own
Good luck,
Trish

I'd pump some milk before you consume and then pump and dump for at least 1/2 a day after. I'd err on the extreme side of caution. The baby's liver isn't designed for this... then again...neither was ours.

I thought I should pass along some information given to me by my dr, and a lactation consultant, and supported by a biology teacher friend who says is makes sense.

The level of alcohol in your breast milk is the same as in your blood, not the same as in the drink you had. Even if you are drunk (ie over the legal limit for driving) that is less than 1/10th of a percent (remember that .08 doesn't mean 8% alchohol it means 8/100 of 1%). If you wait an hour or two, the level of alcohol in your breastmilk would be even less.

My advice is that if you feel like you need to pump while still tipsy, its better to be careful and toss that milk. However, once you've soberded up, you milk is certainly fine for your baby.

HTH,
T.

Most things i have read say you should wait at least 2 hours after your last drink, but that varies with each person veries in there asobtion of the alcohol, But here is a link that will help you better.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_alcohol-and-nursing-moms_3547.bc

I've read that you should wait 1 hour for every drink. So if you have 3 drinks, don't nurse until it's been 3 hours or so since your last drink.

I believe it's 2 hours for every 8 oz that you drink.

-K.

A lactation consultant informed me to wait 2 hours.

if you don't drink and only plan to have a few glasses of "red" wine on your trip it will not harm the baby. If i know i am going to have a drink i usually wait until i put my son down to sleep for the night. I would not suggest drinking hard alcohol or anything like that but a glass of wine will not hurt any body.

According to both the lactation consultants from our Breastfeeding support group, you do not need to pump and dump. The level of alcohol in your breastmilk will be equal to the level you are feeling at the time. Contrary to older theories, alcohol does not "stay" in your breastmilk. So if you still feel intoxicated assume it is still in your breastmilk. Of course if you feel intoxicated and are so full you need to pump for comfort you can dispose of the amount you pump for comfort (just pump enough to be comfortable). Hope this helps and have fun on your trip!

I went with what I heard, and that's if you feel your buzz... dump. Pump/nurse right before drinking and then have a good time! You deserve it. ;o)

Go to Babies R Us, and buy the "mother's milk" test strips. You dip them in your breast milk and it'll indicate whether there is alcohol in your milk or not and to what amount.

I was told by my nurse that it takes anywhere from 2-24 hours for what you eat/drink to go through your milk....

From information I read and have heard on this website, and from lots of other parents and lactation consultants, you can drink quite a bit before you need to worry about not nursing or pumping and dumping! Just to be on the safe side if I was ever away from my daughter and having more than 2 or 3 drinks then pumping, I would spread the milk that I pumped then out into a few bottles and pump less "contaminated" milk into those same bottles to further dilute it. I have read that it is only something tiny like 1% of the liquor you consume that gets into the milk and so if you are not fall down drunk it should probably be fine, but I did it just to ease my mind when I was drinking more than I would when I am with her. With her though, I would drink 2 drinks and have no problems nursing after... she wouldn't even sleep better like people joked.

My understanding is that once you feel "sober" then technically it is okay to keep the milk that you pump (as opposed to dumping it). Once the alcohol is out of your blood stream it is also out of your milk supply. To be cautious, and you want to keep your milk - you can buy a tester that will let you know if any alcohol is present in your milk. http://www.milkscreen-moms.com/ If alcohol is present and you feel engorged, then you should pump and dump. Otherwise it is safe to keep your milk.

Check Kellymom.com
I believe it says once you feel sober you don't have to dump the milk.

hi G. -

the la leche league website has some excellent info on how long alcohol remains in the bloodstream, etc. http://www.llli.org/FAQ/alcohol.html

my son was born on 2/28/07!
have fun on your trip!